Danny Welbeck moved to Arsenal hoping to get regular starting time in his preferred position as striker having under-achieved at Manchester United.
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A few days before England’s World Cup squad flew out to Brazil last summer, Danny Welbeck made it clear that he expected to be given a run of games up front when he returned to Manchester United.
We are coming up to the anniversary of that conversation —which happened in the swanky resort of Quinta do Lago in Portugal — and nothing has changed, except his club.
Yesterday, wearing the colours of Arsenal in this FA Cup fifth round tie against Middlesbrough, the forward was shoe-horned into this team. Few could displace Olivier Giroud on his current form.
Instead, Welbeck is in familiar territory, forced on to the wing again because Giroud, one of the most under-appreciated players at the highest level of the game, is scoring at will.
In many ways Welbeck is a victim of his own versatility, squeezed out to the wing in this cup tie because Giroud is a first pick for Wenger when he is fit.
Wenger said: ‘If you look at the history of my strikers, most of them have been able to play in different forward positions over the year. The only one who hasn’t and probably has to play up front is Giroud, but the rest have been able to play wide if necessary.’ In the days of Thierry Henry he could pop up wherever he wanted, but Welbeck is playing with more tactical discipline as he works his way into this team.
Against one of the best sides in the Championship Welbeck started on the left and swapped with Alexis Sanchez to play on the right after the break. His afternoon ended when he was replaced by Theo Walcott in the 71st minute. Even though he is on the same pitch as some players with genuine pedigree — Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla operate at a different technical level from the others — this is not what he signed up to.
When he arrived from Manchester United at the end of the summer transfer window, Welbeck wanted to be the star of the show in an Arsenal shirt. Instead, we are waiting for him to really get going.
He touched the ball 38 times at the Emirates yesterday, a long way short of the the 128 touches taken by the imperious Cazorla and his midfield partner Ozil (116).
If it came down to work-rate in the Barclays Premier League, then Welbeck would win a place in this team every week.
He has scored some goals, netting his first for the club in a 3-0 victory at Aston Villa in September and scoring a hat-trick against Galatasaray in a 4-1 win the following month. Suddenly, though, he seems vulnerable.
Next month an England squad will be announced for the games against Lithuania and Italy.
Welbeck is coming under pressure from Harry Kane. He is a favourite of Hodgson’s, but to keep his place in the team for club and country the forward will need to play in his preferred position.
It seems that if Giroud is fit, he will always start ahead of Welbeck. The Frenchman has now scored 11 times in the FA Cup.
In a few weeks, as Arsenal power on for a place in the top four and another appearance in an FA Cup final, the competition will be fierce in this squad.
Heavyweights such as Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be making demands of Wenger as they enter a crucial phase of the season.
When that moment arrives, you begin to wonder where Welbeck will fit in. – Daily Mail
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